Coated article and method for manufacturing coated article

ABSTRACT

An coated article includes a substrate; and a coating deposited on the substrate, wherein the coating being a zirconium layer co-doped with M and R. M is at least one element selected from a group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, niobium, hafnium and tantalum. R is at least one element selected from a group consisting of scandium, yttrium and lanthanide.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to co-pending U.S. patent applications (Attorney Docket No. US35743), each entitled “COATED ARTICLE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING COATED ARTICLE”, by Zhang et al. These applications have the same assignee as the present application and have been concurrently filed herewith. The above-identified applications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The exemplary disclosure generally relates to coated articles and a method for manufacturing the coated articles.

2. Description of Related Art

Vacuum deposition is typically used to form a thin film or coating on housings of electronic devices, to provide an attractive metallic appearance on the housing. However, typically films or coatings deposited by vacuum deposition have a low corrosion resistance.

Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the exemplary coated article and method for manufacturing the coated article. Moreover, in the drawings like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of coated article.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a magnetron sputtering coating machine for manufacturing the coated article in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a coated article 10 includes a substrate 11 and a coating 13 deposited on the substrate 11. The substrate 11 may be made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, glass or ceramics. The coating 13 is a zirconium layer co-doped with M and R, wherein M may be at least one element selected from a group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, niobium, hafnium and tantalum. R may be at least one element selected from a group consisting of scandium, yttrium and lanthanide. The content of M in the coating is between about 10 wt % and about 49.5 wt % of the total weight of zirconium, M, R. The content of R in the coating is between about 0.5 wt % and about 10 wt % of the total weight of zirconium, M, R. The remainder is zirconium. The coating 13 has a thickness between about 500 nanometers and about 800 nanometers. The coating 13 may be deposited by magnetron sputtering process.

Referring to FIG. 2, a method for manufacturing the coated article 10 may include at least the following steps.

Providing a substrate 11. The substrate 11 may be made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, glass or ceramics.

Pretreating the substrate 11 by washing it with a solution (e.g., Alcohol or Acetone) in an ultrasonic cleaner, to remove impurities and contaminations, such as grease, or dirt. The substrate 11 is then dried.

Providing a vacuum sputtering coating machine 100. The vacuum sputtering coating machine 100 includes a sputtering coating chamber 20 and a vacuum pump 30 connecting to the sputtering coating chamber 20. The vacuum pump 30 evacuates the air out the sputtering coating chamber 20. The vacuum sputtering coating machine 100 further includes a rotating bracket 21, a plurality of (e.g., four) targets 22 and a plurality of gas inlets 24. The rotating bracket 21 rotates the substrate 11 in the sputtering coating chamber 20 relative to the targets 22. The targets 22 face each other, and are respectively located on opposite sides of the rotating bracket 21. The targets 22 are manufactured by powder metallurgy. Each target 22 is an alloy containing zirconium, M and R,

The substrate 11 is then cleaned by argon plasma cleaning. The substrate 11 is retained on the rotating bracket 21. The vacuum level of the sputtering coating chamber 20 is adjusted to about 3.0×10⁻⁵ Torricelli (Torr). Pure argon is fed into the sputtering coating chamber 20 at a flux of about 200 Standard Cubic Centimeters per Minute (sccm) to about 400 sccm from the gas inlets 24, and a bias voltage is applied to the substrate 11 in a range of about −200 to about −300 volts for about 10-20 minutes. So the substrate 11 is washed by argon plasma, to further remove the grease or dirt. Thus, a binding force between the substrate 11 and the coating 13 is enhanced.

A coating 13 is deposited on the substrate 11 inside the sputtering coating chamber 20. The temperature in the sputtering coating chamber 20 is set between about 100 degree Celsius (° C.) and about 200° C. Argon is fed into the sputtering coating chamber 20 at a flux between about 100 sccm and about 400 sccm from the gas inlets 24. The targets 22 in the sputtering coating chamber 20 are evaporated at a power between about 5 kW and about 15 kW. A bias voltage applied to the substrate 11 may be between about −50 volts and about −200 volts with a duty cycle of 50%, for between about 20 minutes and about 90 minutes, to deposit the coating 13 on the substrate 11.

EXAMPLES

Experimental examples made according to the present disclosure follow.

Example 1

The substrate 11 is made of 304 stainless steel. Each target 22 is an alloy containing zirconium, copper and yttrium. The content of the copper in each target 22 is about 45 wt % of the total weight of zirconium, copper and yttrium. The content of the yttrium in each target 22 is about 8 wt % of the total weight of zirconium, copper and yttrium. The remainder is zirconium. The temperature in the sputtering coating chamber 20 is set about 100° C. Argon is fed into the sputtering coating chamber 20 at a flux of 100 sccm from the gas inlets 24. The targets 22 in the sputtering coating chamber 20 are evaporated at a power about 8 kW. A bias voltage applied to the substrate 11 may be about −150 volts with a duty cycle of 50%, for about 20 minutes, to deposit the coating 13 on the substrate 11. In this exemplary embodiment, the content of the copper in the coating 13 is about 45 wt %, and the content of the yttrium in coating 13 is about 8 wt %.

Example 2

The substrate 11 is made of 6063 aluminum alloy. Each target 22 is an alloy containing zirconium, cobalt and cerium. The content of the cobalt in each target 22 is about 10 wt % of the total weight of zirconium, cobalt and cerium. The content of the cerium in each target 22 is about 0.5 wt % of the total weight of zirconium, cobalt and cerium. The remainder is zirconium. The temperature in the sputtering coating chamber 20 is set about 200° C. Argon is fed into the sputtering coating chamber 20 at a flux of 250 sccm from the gas inlets 24. The targets 22 in the sputtering coating chamber 20 are evaporated at a power about 15 kW. A bias voltage applied to the substrate 11 may be about −200 volts with a duty cycle of 50%, for about 60 minutes, to deposit the coating 13 on the substrate 11. In this exemplary embodiment, the content of the cobalt in the coating 13 is about 10 wt %, and the content of the cerium in the coating 13 is about 0.5 wt %.

Example 3

The substrate 11 is made of silicate glass. Each target 22 is an alloy containing zirconium, nickel and scandium. The content of the nickel in each target 22 is about 49.5 wt % of the total weight of zirconium, nickel and scandium. The content of the scandium in each target 22 is about 1 wt % of the total weight of zirconium, nickel and scandium. The remainder is zirconium. The temperature in the sputtering coating chamber 20 is set about 100° C. Argon is fed into the sputtering coating chamber 20 at a flux of 400 sccm from the gas inlets 24. The targets 22 in the sputtering coating chamber 20 are evaporated at a power about 5 kW. A bias voltage applied to the substrate 11 may be about −50 volts with a duty cycle of 50%, for about 90 minutes, to deposit the coating 13 on the substrate 11. In this exemplary embodiment, the content of the nickel in the coating 13 is about 49.5 wt %, and the content of the scandium in the coating 13 is about 1 wt %.

EXAMPLE RESULTS

Each coated article was testing by separately putting it into a testing box, and applying 5 wt % of NaCl vapor fed into the testing box to test the coated article 10. The coated article 10 did not corrode after about 72 hours.

The corrosion resistance of the example coated article 10 is tested by a ®5700 linear abrader with a force of 1 kg, a rubbing length of 2 inches and 25 circles per minute. After testing, the substrate was not exposed (i.e., the chromium and silicon nitride layers remained fully intact). Thus, it is clear that the coated article 10 manufactured by the above methods has a good corrosion resistance.

It is to be understood, however, that even through numerous characteristics and advantages of the exemplary disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the system and function of the disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

1. A coated article, comprising: a substrate; and a coating deposited on the substrate, the coating being a zirconium layer co-doped with M and R, wherein M is at least one element selected from a group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, niobium, hafnium and tantalum, R is et least one element selected from a group consisting of scandium, yttrium and lanthanide.
 2. The coated article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the content of M in the coating is between about 10 wt % and about 49.5 wt %, the content of R in the coating is between about 0.5 wt % and about 10 wt %.
 3. The coated article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, glass or ceramics.
 4. The coated article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coating has a thickness between 500 nanometers and about 800 nanometers.
 5. The coated article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coating is deposited by magnetron sputtering process.
 6. A method for manufacturing a coated article comprising steps of: providing a substrate; providing a vacuum sputtering coating machine comprising a sputtering coating chamber and a target located in the sputtering coating chamber, the target being an alloy containing zirconium, M and R, wherein M is at least one element selected from a group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, niobium, hafnium and tantalum, R is at least one element selected from a group consisting of scandium, yttrium and lanthanide; depositing a coating on the substrate by evaporation of the target by magnetron sputtering process in the vacuum sputtering coating machine.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the substrate is made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, glass or ceramics.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the content of M in the target is between about 10 wt % and about 49.5 wt %, the content of R in the target is between about 0.5 wt % and about 10 wt %.
 9. The method of claim 6, further comprising a step of cleaning the substrate by argon plasma cleaning before depositing the coating on the substrate; during cleaning the substrate, the vacuum level of the sputtering coating chamber is adjusted to about 3.0×10⁻⁵ Torr, pure argon is fed into the sputtering coating chamber at a flux of about 200 sccm to about 400 sccm, and a bias voltage is applied to the substrate in a range about −200 to about −300 volts for about 10-20 minutes.
 10. The method of claim 6, during depositing the coating on the substrate, the temperature in the sputtering coating chamber is set between about 100° C. and about 200° C., argon is fed into the sputtering coating chamber at a flux between about 100 and about 400 sccm, the target is evaporated at a power between about 5 kW and about 15 kW, a bias voltage applied to the substrate is between about −50 volts and about −200 volts with a duty cycle of 50%, for between about 20 minutes and about 90 minutes, to deposit the coating on the substrate. 